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Brandon Spikes has finally been spotted, but it wasn’t on a football field as you might expect.

Spikes, who decided to forego Patriots OTAs this offseason in favor of working out on his own, is apparently working on his conditioning by training for the Tour de France — or, at least, riding a bike.

Former Patriots teammate and current Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick tweeted out a photo of Spikes atop a fresh, new mountain bike and sporting a helmet — safety first — during one of the linebacker’s recent workouts in Florida. Deaderick even joked that Spikes might be training for the annual cycling event, given his sweet new ride.

While this isn’t exactly breaking news, Spikes’ absence from OTAs and, maybe even more surprisingly, Twitter has been noticeable this offseason. The Patriots’ selection of linebacker Jamie Collins in the second round of this year’s draft has only drummed up speculation about Spikes’ diminishing role in New England, too. That makes catching even a quick glimpse of him noteworthy.

One observation from the photo: Spikes does a bit leaner than he did at the end of last season. It’s tough for a 6-foot-2, 255-pound to really look “lean,” per se, but he at least appears to have slimmed down some.